BUSD to advertise soils and geotechnical testing for potential Citro school

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The future Citro development was called Meadowood when the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the subdivision map. That map included 13 acres for an elementary school which will be built by the Bonsall Unified School District. The school district and Tri Pointe Homes are in negotiations for the acquisition of that land, and the specific location is still a closed session matter for the school board, but on Oct. 13 a pair of 5-0 BUSD board votes authorized district staff to advertise requests for qualifications and requests for proposals for analysis of soils testing and geotechnical services and for architectural services.

"There are over 2,000 new homes already approved to be built within Bonsall Unified School District in the next five to 10 years. The board and administration are committed to making sure that facilities meet the needs of the significant population increase and empower all students to achieve their maximum learning potential," said BUSD Board President Larissa Anderson.

"The due diligence is to ensure that the land is suitable," said BUSD Superintendent Joseph Clevenger.

The school district will establish a committee to review the requests for qualifications and requests for proposals. The committee will consider firms with proven performance records for timely and expedient completion of services, and for the architectural firms the consideration will also include the capabilities to engage community and key stakeholders meaningfully. BUSD staff will recommend a pool of soils testing and geotechnical firms and a pool of architectural firms. The district staff will also provide a recommendation for a specific firm to perform soils testing and geotechnical services and a specific firm to perform architectural services.

"At this point we're still gathering pools of potential candidates," Clevenger said.

The selection criteria for the soils testing and geotechnical firms will include timeliness and completeness of the Statement of Qualifications, professional experience in performing services of a similar nature and scope, staffing capability and the ability to meet schedules, reliability and continuity of the firm, location of the firm in proximity to the school district, quality and relevance of recently-completed or ongoing work, education and experience of the key personnel assigned, and knowledge of applicable standards, regulations, codes, and technology.

The selection criteria for the architectural firm will include timeliness and completeness of the Statement of Qualifications, technical qualifications and competence, past performance record, the firm's approach to the work, and cost control measures. Interviews will also be held with firms being considered for the BUSD contract.

Clevenger noted that the Oct. 14 board authorization is one of several steps required before the school board can make a decision whether to purchase the property. "We're still early in this one," he said.